By Councillor Lorna Hall
At the recent Town Meeting a resident of Rye bought to my attention the fact that there are quite a number of other towns and villages called Rye worldwide. It was suggested that it might be nice to make friendly and informal contact with them and perhaps swap information, passing on details of our website, our history and our forthcoming events.When I undertook a little research on this I found that there had already been quite a bit of contact with Rye, New York and Rye, Australia in the past and that several visits had been made to these places by Rye residents on holiday and visitors from other Ryes had called in here. Indeed the editor of this very magazine had helped by putting people in touch in the past.
The Leisure and Tourism committee feel that it could be quite useful to coordinate some of this information if people are willing and to refresh our contacts.
If you would like to be involved in this or have any further information please contact Lorna Hall c/o Rye Town Hall – www.ryetowncouncil.gov.uk
OTHER RYES RYE , WESTCHESTER, NEW YORK
Named after Rye, England in 1665 and a stopping off point for the New York to Boston stage coach which made its first run in 1772, Rye is 25 miles from New York city. By the mid 1800s Rye became a popular summer resort with horse racing on the Flats at Rye Beach a special attraction.
In 1904 there were 3,500 residents and it became a ‘village’
By 1930 there were 9,000 residents
As Rye developed the residents began to desire complete independence from the government and in 1942 Rye became Westchester’s sixth and smallest city.
1990 saw 14,936 residents, it covers 6 square miles and 5% of its property is business property.
It has remarkable natural endowments including a protected harbour along the Long Island Sound. The community interests include the preservation of open spaces and it enjoys a 47 acre nature centre. The city of Rye seal is a sailing boat, a peace pipe and a torch of freedom. There is a mayor and 6 council members.
RYE, ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE
In July 2000 the town had a population of 5,182.
The town has a Moderator a Chairman of the Selectmen and a Town Clerk.
Rye includes 4 out of the 9 Isles of Shoals which were originally very important fishing areas for the young British colonies. They also have a Rye Harbour State Park.
Rye was the first settlement in New Hampshire and originally called Pannaway it was established in 1623. It covers 12.6 square miles of land and 22.9 square miles of water. Its highest point is called Breakfast Hill.
RYE, SOUTH EAST DIVISION, COLORADO
Rye, Colorado is tiny with a population of around 200 people. It is located between Colorado City and Fairview and has an elevation of 6,900 feet.
It was established in 1870 and originally called Table Top Mountain (which does describe its landscape). It was shortened to Rye because the post office complained the name was too long and the area is especially noted for its dairies and sawmills.
The town has a post office, a country store, some other small businesses and a lot of snow!!
One of its claims to fame was that in the 1960s the last remaining, very rare Greenback Cutthroat Trout was discovered in a small nearby stream and it has now been introduced into 19 creeks in the area and has been made the state fish. The area is great for camping and hiking and it is a ‘dry’ town.
RYE, PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Rye, Pennsylvania was founded in 1766 and in the year 2000 had a population of 2,327. It is an area of fields, woods and lumber mills. The Township officials meet on Mondays at 7.30pm, and their chairman is Ron Evans.
RYE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
Rye, Victoria is a coastal resort 78k south of Melbourne with a population of 8337. It is part of an area made up with two other towns called Dromana and Rosebud with a total population of 23,000.
It has a cosmopolitan atmosphere with good restaurants etc.
There is a links golf course with an open golf tournaments, Kitesurfing at the pier, a marine trail under the pier and an underwater octopus garden.
They hold quite a few festivals – namely the Foreshore Festival, The Strawberry Festival, An Arts Festival and a Family and Garden Festival. Nearby, at the beach, is held the international sand sculpting competition.
There is a community market, a Christmas Festival of Lights and the area is one of fertile hills and pretty beaches.
Rye, Victoria comes under the Shire of Mornington Peninsular.
RYE, JURA, FRANCE
The only information I could find was that in 2007 Rye, France had a population of 171, that the Jura mountains and French Alps border Italy and Switzerland and that there is a white wine from the region called Chalon Reserve Catherine de Rye.
RYE, SKANDERBORG, EAST JUTLAND, DENMARK
Old Rye is located on the Guden River and was named in 1536. It has a population of 4,900. In the 1800s it was famed for its wooden shoes.
Nearby Sky Mountain is one of the highest points in Denmark.
Gallows Hill the east of old Rye was the site of beheadings (Gibbets Marsh)
Local parishes were merged in 1970 to create the municipality of Rye until January 07. Now it has merged into the municipality of Skanderborg which has a total population of 49,469.
RYE, EAST SUSSEX, ENGLAND
Population in 2007 – 4,108 and measures 1.6 square miles.
There is a Mayor, Town Clerk and 16 Town Councillors who meet regularly at the Town Hall on a Monday evening.
Rye is a corruption of an anglo-saxon word meaning island. Rye in East Sussex is sited on a hill overlooking green pasture land and the sea. It was originally almost surrounded by the sea and its position was on a narrow neck of land with the wide estuaries of the Tillingham and Rother Rivers on either side.
Rye is 11 miles from the town of Hastings and still has its own fishing fleet. It is a beautiful and historical town full of ancient buildings and cobbled streets and surrounded by rolling farmland. It is near the border of the county of Kent and Romney Marsh, famed for its sheep, is on its doorstep.
It is very popular with visitors from across the globe and Rye Harbour Nature Reserve nearby.
Rye is well known for its number of excellent restaurants and pubs and hosts a number of festivals throughout the year including the Festival of Christmas Lights, A Taste of Rye, The Rye Bay Scallop Festival and The Rye Arts Festival.
Nearby Camber Sands and the beaches stretching to the east offer great kitesurfing and horse riding.
There is a weekly market, a weekly farmers market and a community market.
More information is available at the website above and at www.rye-tourism.co.uk and at www.visitrye.co.uk
“Rye’s Own” May 2008
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